Snapshots of International Community Forestry Networks: Country ...

Learning from International Community Forestry Networks: India Report
Some interviewees agreed that there had been an overall beneficial influence of international networks in
promoting CF, but could not specify what this was. Others felt that international networks had not played
any relevant or influential role in India. Judging from the fact that international networks have by and large
succeeded in reaching out to many key players in CF, it is highly likely that international networks have
had some kind of influence in India, but overall they have not been perceived as being widely influential.
The key question is whether the time and resources spent on/by international networks, are proportionate to
the impacts achieved, particularly at grassroots level.
5.1 Reach and impact of international networks
5.1.1 Regional representation
International networks were more visible in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, and less so in
Andhra Pradesh. All the three states studied have an environment conducive to JFM or CF, with presence
of national or state level networks. Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal have a smaller presence of NGOs
and weak state-level networking as compared to Andhra Pradesh. However, they do have a greater presence
of national networks, while IIFM and IBRAD have provided substantial support for CF in different ways,
including through their involvement with national networks. Given the presence of strong state-level
networks and NGOs in AP, one would have expected international networks to have played a greater role
there, by exploiting the existing mass base of networks, to reach out to a large number of people at
grassroots level through information dissemination, training, etc. However, international networks were
found to have a relatively larger presence in West Bengal, MP and Delhi. One reason could be that these
three places are served by large, formalised institutions. Delhi, being the capital, is a hub of international
and national institutions, while IBRAD and IIFM have a strong presence in West Bengal and Madya
Pradesh as well as a presence outside these states. It may be that international networks have found it easier
to communicate with such institutions where the favoured tools of communication – email and the English
language – were not lacking.
5.1.2 Linkages to national and local networks
The most glaring gap in international network activity was the fact that there did not seem to be any attempt
to create formal links with national or local networks through collaborative activities and facilitation, even
where local networks were strong and vibrant, such as JSM in Madhya Pradesh or APNGOs in Andhra
Pradesh. Many of the individuals active in national or regional networks were also actively engaged with
international networks. It may be, therefore, that international networks were indirectly influencing national
or local networking through these individuals. However, this was not obvious, and it seems that a more
effective role could be played by international networks if they were to formally link with indigenous
networks. Two main purposes could be served by linking formally with national / local networks:
1) co-ordination of activities with national/local networks, or facilitating their activities, would mean
that the influence of international networks would be reaching out to a large, pre-existing base of
people, whether it is for information dissemination or capacity building activities. In other words,
it would greatly add value to an on-going process.
2) It could avoid the problem of being perceived as a ‘foreign’ activity, because people would find it
easier to relate to an indigenous network, and would be less ‘suspicious’ of international networks
if they were directly linked to indigenous networking efforts.
5.1.3 Impact on different sectors
International networks do not seem to have made any effort to target forest departments, which are central
to the implementation of JFM, the predominant form of CF. This misses out a crucial sector in the CF
scenario, and perhaps serves to alienate the FD. The alienation may be further fuelled by the feeling that
networks and NGOs tend to ‘protect’ a certain kind of idea of CF, where NGOs and communities are
supported against any governmental initiative. It was felt, for example, that networks tend to mainly
highlight successes of CF, even though there is much to learn from failures of CF. The FD is a key player
in JFM, and perceives itself as such, clearly illustrated in the example of the WWF-Foresters Network
which faded away because the FD felt that a foresters’ network should be a governmental initiative, and did
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